NFL Draft Starts Friday for Former Kentucky Football Players

Uncertainty surrounding the top picks in the draft produced fireworks in the first round. Multiple marquee trades dealt some of the NFL’s top receivers to new homes. While Titans fans around the Commonwealth still can’t make heads from tails, former Kentucky football players are preparing for their dreams to come true. KSR expects up to four Wildcats — Wan’Dale Robinson, Josh Paschal, Darian Kinnard and Luke Fortner — to hear their name called Friday night. Here’s what you need to know before NFL Draft coverage in Las Vegas resumes at 7 pm ET.

Paschal Likely First Off the Board

Quarterbacks, offensive tackles and edge defenders have the most positional value in the NFL Draft. It’s hard to get a good one in later rounds. If your franchise needs an edge in the second round, Paschal is one of the best available. The NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah ranks him as the No. 26 overall prospect remaining. ESPN is a little more bullish at No. 21 as the second best edge remaining in the NFL Draft.

There’s some Cincinnati Bengals buzz for Paschal if he sticks around for the penultimate pick of round two, but he could go sooner. The Texans (fifth), Browns (12th) and Ravens (13th) could all pull the trigger on Paschal early Friday night. My eyes are on Baltimore after they missed out on adding Jordan Davis to their defensive line by one spot in round one. One ESPN prognosticator predicts the former Cat will slide just past that with the Cowboys taking Paschal at No. 56 overall.

Draftable Wan’Dale an NFL Draft Day 2 Steal

In addition to the trades of AJ Brown and Hollywood Brown, six wide receivers were taken in the first 18 picks. It forced a few teams needing a wide receiver to pass on picking a pass-catcher until the later rounds. The Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers could each use a wide receiver following high-profile departures. Both teams have a pair of picks in the second round. Either would be a nice landing spot for the record-breaking Kentucky wide receiver.

In a conversation with Andy Staples, The Athletic’s Bruce Feldman believes Robinson could be a day two steal for a franchise.

“One of the coaches I talked to is very specific about, I don’t think he’s a draftable guy if he’s still at Nebraska. He went to Kentucky, they put him in more of a pro-style system and he flourished. It wasn’t like there were other great skill guys outside but I think he’s a guy who definitely will be interesting to people. Remember like Rondale Moore had this great start of his career at Purdue and I think he’s a really explosive guy and he will help you in some way…If my team got Wan’Dale Robinson in the third or fourth round, I’d say, ‘Oooh, I think that’s going to be a good pick for us.’”

Bruce Feldman on the Andy Staples Show

Strange Pick Should Benefit Former Kentucky Football Players

There are always a few picks in the first round that make you scratch your head. This year it was the New England Patriots who reached by taking UT-Chattanooga center Cole Strange with the 26th overall pick. “And we wasted our time watching him thinking he’d be at 104,” Rams coach Sean McVay said when he heard the news.

Along with Iowa’s Tyler Linderbaum, Strange was one of two centers picked in the first round, a position that rarely produces one first rounder. Luke Fortner immediately climbs up draft boards for franchise looking for a center, ranked as the third-best available by ESPN. PFF believes Miami could be a nice fit for both parties. Jacksonville and San Francisco are also searching for an IOL too. Darian Kinnard could factor into plans for those teams, considered the No. 3 guard available.